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Packers Daily Links: Bishop Hopes to Be Ready for OTAs

During an interview with the Packers official website, injured Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop expressed optimism that he'll be able to take part in the team's offseason workout program. "Bishop believes he’ll be full-go with no restrictions for OTAs and training camp this spring and summer," writes Mike Spofford of Packers.com. "That remains to be seen, considering Mike McCarthy’s tendency to ease players back into the on-field drills when they’re coming off a major injury, but nonetheless, Bishop feels good about where he is on the road to recovery." Bishop also added that his recover is "on track." Seeing as his hamstring injury occurred so early in training camp, he has a longer time to recuperate than most players that become injured during the course of a season. OTAs begin after the Draft in April.

In a blog post over at JSOnline, reporter Tom Silverstein shared an interesting thought about the makeup of the defensive line in Green Bay from position coach Mike Trgrovac and wanting a player with more length. "They do not have the tall, long-armed defensive end that most good 3-4 defenses possess," writes Silverstein. "It showed against the 49ers when they were unable to hold the edge against Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson and to some degree San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick." This is something to watch for with the NFL Draft on the horizon. The Packers could use a player that's 6-5 and above on the D-line.

Statistics shared by Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel paint a picture of Marshall Newhouse as still a below-average NFL tackle. "Newhouse, with 42½, allowed the most pressures," writes McGinn. "That includes all sacks, knockdowns and hurries. Newhouse's total, one more than a year ago, is the highest since the Journal Sentinel began recording the statistic in 1999." The good news is that Newhouse allowed all those pressures in more games than he appeared a year ago. So while Newhouse is making progress, there's perhaps enough evidence to suggest that he's still not on par with other good tackles throughout the league and the Packers could do better.

Wondering about free agency? Although it's perhaps unlikely the Packers get heavily involved, Tom Silverstein suggests some names at the running back position to keep an eye on. "Among the unrestricted free agents the Packers could go after are St. Louis' Steven Jackson, Miami's Reggie Bush, Dallas' Felix Jones and the New York Jets' Shonn Greene," writes Silverstein. "Jackson would be ideal, but the Packers would probably only be interested in him in the secondary market given he will be 30 in July." That could mean that the Packers wouldn't sign a guy like Jackson in the early stages of free agency when he'd factor into the compensatory draft pick equation, but if they sign him later, a la Cedric Benson, there's a better chances they'll get some compensatory picks.

Brian Carriveau is the author of "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and an editor at Cheesehead TV. To contact Brian, email [email protected].

He's a physical/athletic specimen still learning how to be a football player. Prototype measurables and likely to blow up the combine. He may not be available when the Packers pick after the combine artificially inflates his stock.

Big question with Hunt, he'll be a 26 year old rookie that's still learning how to be a football player. Will it click in time?

Intriguing guy, no doubt. Outside of Hunt, you begin to realize how rare the prototype body for a 3-4 end really is. Aren't many long athletes in excess of 6'4" and approaching 300lbs. I really do like all the Packers nickle options (and it's still a league that overwhelming demands nickle rushers), but they no doubt need a stout end with some length.

Your second instinct was right, you're way off on this. Base 3-4 ends need to stack the line of scrimmage first and foremost from the '5' technique. It's a bonus and rarity when you get a 5 tech that can also rush the passer. You get more variability and ability to hide scheme from a base 3-4.

In a 4-3 you need a defensive end that can stack the line of scrimmage and rush the QB. Those are even rarer. Look no further than the college ranks where you can count on 2 fingers how many legit 4-3 ends there are that can disrupt. There are dozens of legitimate 3-4 OLB's that can be developed year-over-year from the college ranks. With the advent of spread offenses in college the defensive side now has a ton of tweeners that fit perfect in the 3-4 scheme.

Did the productivity come out of base defense or outside of base defense? Do you even have a clue what you're citing and why your trying to reference it? You do realize most teams don't even play base 50% of the time. We're discussing availability of personnel for a defense.

I can't get how you process, even when it's a non-troll effort there's something cognitive that's broken.

Me: with the proliferation of spread offenses you see tons of tweener DE's and OLB's in the collegiate ranks that can rush from the OLB position; you can count 4-3 rush ends on one hand every year coming out of college.

You: loses track of the discussion completely after a single exchange and begins to reference NFL statistic which have zilch to do with availability of rushing linebacker talent compared to 4-3 DE talent

Then you go on to continue referencing NFL stats when the discussion is about college talent availble to accomodate either defense. Do you understand 4-3 ends really can't come off the field while 3-4 5-techniques are primarily in on rushing downs. Do you see how your arguments jump the shark every week? I doubt it.

You are the king of the non-sequitur. I'm done with you, troll someone else.

Considering 2/3 of the teams in the League run a 4-3, you'd be better off adjusting your statistics to percentages. With a larger pool to pull from it isn't surprising to see the numbers fall that way.

Your thoughts on Te'o? Charley Casserly just said he viewed him as a late 1st, early 2nd. He had players like Beason and Hightower rated higher coming out. Just curious as it is possible he's available for us.

My take... He doesn't exactly blow my skirt up. I think he has average NFL MLB written all over him, we already have one of those. He's not real big, or fast... And that's what I'm looking for dammit!

I've seen him play a great deal. I think he's a 2-down linebacker in the NFL. Unless he's Patrick Willis, you don't draft 2-down linebackers in a passing league. He was also protected by three legitimate NFL talents in front of him, they kept him clean. Tuitt will be a 1st round pick next year, right after Clowney.

I just can't see any team justifying a 2-down linebacker that's a liability in coverage going in round 1 when you still have a passing league as a whole.

Speaking of Clowney, if we were ever to have a 2-14 year... This is the year to do it (I know, not happening, and that's a good thing)... But you find a way to make your defense work around that freak.

Look no further than what Belichick and Brady are doing with Vareen and Ridley in New England. They're splitting them out, watching a linebacker follow and than exploiting either that matchup, or the TE is wide-open in a vacated middle because said linebacker is split-out against the running backs.

Bold concept that either Finley, Cobb or Bush (in that scenario) could exploit.

No. Injury history has nothing to do with injury future, nor is a player more likely to get injured based on what franchise they sign a contract with.

Also, that garbage offensive line didn't allow a negative run last game. Not to mention the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal tally put over 1/3rd of the sacks on Rodgers this year. That's right, Rodgers allowed the most sacks and pressures on.....Rodgers.

He would have been an interior pass rusher. Something the 2012 Packers did not have. Maybe not a difference maker in terms of outcome, but certainly not "no difference". Dez Bishop is a huge step up from Brad Jones or AJ Hawk for that matter.

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